Sixty-one years and counting -Valrie Welsh has not lost her zeal for the Lord

Mount Olivet, Manchester:

“So then, my dear friends, stand firm and steady. Keep busy always in your work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord’s service is ever useless.” 1 Corinthians 15:58.

She has been active in every department of the Olivet Open Bible Church, both at the administrative and local levels. She has served in the offices of secretary, treasurer, and deaconess. She has been a choir member and preacher. She still serves on the church board and is now dutifully directing the choir and leading the prayer and counselling team.

Seventy-four-year-old Valrie Welsh said that she committed her life to the Lord and His work at the age of 13, and has not looked back since.

“I was brought up in a Christian household by my mother, after my father died when I was one year and six months old. My mother May Spencer, who was then a widow, sought comfort at a nearby Assembly of God church. As time went by, she became so involved in the church that when the pastor at the time was transferred to another church, she was assigned to carry on the work at Assembly of God. I was the last and only girl of four children. Mother pulled us along with her to church day and night. We frequently fell asleep during night service, and the benches in the pew became our beds … .”

Welsh said that the love for Jesus was instilled in them from a tender age, and there was always strict adherence to the rules of the church.

“I could not go to parties or movies. It was just church events, even though I would have loved to have gone out with my friends. My hair had to remain natural. It was not until I graduated from high school that I was allowed to process my hair, and no other form of make-up, and my dress was lengthy. They say if you are a Christian, you must look like one. I had to abide by the rules laid down. It was fun going out on beach trips and youth camp, though,” she said.

She admits that one of her greatest joys was starting her own family and instilling in her children the Christian values that she was taught.

“In my early teens, I started teaching in the Sunday school department, and that was my first encounter in leading children to Christ. On November 23, 1968, I got married to Hugh George Welsh. We are blessed with three children – one girl, Grace Ann; and two boys, Hugh George Jr, and our youngest child, Gary. We guided them along the Christian path, and they all committed their lives to the Lord and became members of the church. They now have their families, and I am blessed to see my grandchildren following in the path of righteousness.”

She says that one of her sons is a musician, active in ministry, and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ – a payoff to all she had to endure after she relocated.

“After getting married, my husband and I migrated to the adjoining parish of Clarendon. We still maintained our membership at Olivet although a number of other churches were much closer to us. We travelled from Clarendon to Manchester to church – sometimes twice on Sundays – for over 20 unbroken years to continue with the work of the Lord. This was quite taxing, especially on our young children at the time, who often fell asleep on the way to and from church. But we counted this as a sacrifice that was well worth the cost.”

Welsh said that of all her years in church, what is most heartbreaking for her is that people have lost their zeal for Christ, and there is a real disconnect with the elders of the church and the young people.

HER CONCERNS

“The lack of commitment and dedication to the work of the Lord, and the lack of reverence to God, and the things pertaining to Him, is worrying. I am also concerned about the lack of appreciation shown to our elders who sometimes feel like they are no longer needed. We must, in our churches today, have a good balance between the younger ones and the seniors. In a world where spiritual values and morality are seriously threatened, it is prudent that our elders be given the opportunity to use their wisdom and experience to guide the younger ones to walk in accordance with God’s undiluted word. Our seniors, too, should take time out to understand the needs of our youth and seek to embrace positive change in areas such as the use of technology.”

She says that her greatest wish is for men to recognise the sovereignty of God and serve Him so that the nation can be healed from the curse of crime and violence that has contaminated our island.

“If only our people would seek after things of the Lord. Let us heed these words according to 2nd Chronicles 7 v 14,” she ended.

familyandreligion@gleanerjm.com